AuthorTopic: Las Vegas, and is there anything worth shooting outside of the city? (Read 8648 times)

A friend of mine's bachelor party will be in Vegas in mid-March. Assuming we don't end up stealing Mike Tyson's tiger and running from organized crime, is there anything worth shooting outside of the city? Anything special in Vegas to shoot, other than the lights?

Spectacular photo locations are easily accessible from Vegas. Either of these two daytrips will challenge your skills: One hour north is Valley of Fire, a half hour south is Red Rock Canyon. Google 'em.

If you have two days, Death Valley is a relatively easy drive. The roads are fast and the scenery excellent. Rent a minivan, camp in DV for one night at Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells. Your cameras will love you. If camping is off the table, there is motel-style accommodation and restaurants at either of those two locations. Book ahead. It's high season.

The Grand Canyon is about a 4 or 5 hour drive from Vegas. Same for (drum roll, please) Antelope Canyon! There are actually a LOT of iconic Southwest locations in the 4 to 5 hour range, and some good photo ops along the way if you are into the special stark beauty of deserts. March is the best time for many of those locations, which can be blazing hot a couple months later.

Of course Hoover Dam just outside the city has a lot of 30's charm though limited photographic potential.

Or you can just walk around the Las Vegas streets and pretend you're Garry Winogrand. You will not be disappointed.

If you could combine your "sin-trip" with you annual vacation, LV is a great start/end for the following roundtrip (I did it a decade ago): Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Arches NP - Capitol Reef NP - Bryce Canyon - Zion NP.

If you could combine your "sin-trip" with you annual vacation, LV is a great start/end for the following roundtrip (I did it a decade ago): Grand Canyon - Monument Valley - Arches NP - Capitol Reef NP - Bryce Canyon - Zion NP.

I've travelled it as well, but in the reverse order. Whichever way you choose, you can't go wrong.

Didn't realize Hoover Dam is so close, I'll definitely visit there as I like heavy industry and Hitchcock movies, and I believe the bridge is ready. Need to pick up that 12mm Oly lens before going there, though.

Might end up doing Death Valley, but Antelope Canyon is to photography what the macarena is to music. You can PM me your hate mail.

Didn't realize Hoover Dam is so close, I'll definitely visit there as I like heavy industry and Hitchcock movies, and I believe the bridge is ready. Need to pick up that 12mm Oly lens before going there, though.

Might end up doing Death Valley, but Antelope Canyon is to photography what the macarena is to music. You can PM me your hate mail.

You mean to say that most people think they know how to photograph Antelope Canyon but in reality have no clue about what they're doing and just follow those that also have no clue?

Yes Hoover Dam is a monument to the Big Machine and the Big Project. The turbine room is simply awe inspiring. Take the tour. I last saw it in 1952. I can still remember the sound.

So I'm going to see Peter Lik's Vegas galleries tomorrow. He sold HIS Antelope Canyon image to some restaurant for $0.5Million or something. All he did was toss some dust into one those damned light shafts. I am so jealous.

Yes Hoover Dam is a monument to the Big Machine and the Big Project. The turbine room is simply awe inspiring. Take the tour. I last saw it in 1952. I can still remember the sound.

Already salivating.

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So I'm going to see Peter Lik's Vegas galleries tomorrow. He sold HIS Antelope Canyon image to some restaurant for $0.5Million or something. All he did was toss some dust into one those damned light shafts. I am so jealous.

Peter Lik image of Antelope Canyon sounds like a bastard child of kitsch and cliche. I need to check out his gallery to see what all the fuss is about.

If you are looking for something more out of the way and less photographed, there is always Devil's Fire. It is quite a ways off the beaten track and you will need a car with some clearance to get there, but the rock formations are amazing. It would probably take 2-3 hours to get there from Vegas.

Well I just scoped out the 2 Peter Lik galleries at Caesar's Palace and I have to admit that I actually liked a few of his newer, digital pieces which clearly beat the older, blocked-up looking 6x17 Velvia shots. And it appears that Peter is now an HDR Master! Like me.

Well, there are a few things like those "rays of light" in a forest scene that must have taken many gruelling expeditions all the way to Photoshopia and back to finally capture. But there were also some very nice looking pieces, if you don't care too much for subtlety. He even ripped me off for the rather elegant Central Park in Autumn shot that I have been intending to do for at least 20 years, the very nerve of him!

But seriously, I have such disdain for people who market so much better than me! I'm going to write out 100 times... "Flamboyance Pays, Flamboyance Pays, Flamboyance Pays..." At least in Vegas.

Most of the pictures are still about 17 x 50 through maybe 24 x 72 in ultra heavy duty black mattes and Pirates-of-the-Caribbean wood veneer frames (Roma Tobaccino @ $20/foot). But there were also several bare, face-mounted pieces of plex+print only, up a lot from last year. Starting at $6000, with plenty of stuff in the very affordable $15,000 to $80,000 range.

Was interesting to hear how full-bodied the back-stories have become in the last year. Practice + boredom = hyperbole. Also I was very impressed to hear how many centuries those face mounted RC glossies were going to last. That's "centuries" with an "s."

And I got the infamous Thomas Kinkade "fade to black" demo right there in a Peter Lik gallery! Was ushered into a little, black-walled room occupied only by a print with about 6 dazzling spotlights on it. The door was closed and the lights were slowly dimmed. And behold! I could see the brightest parts of the print until there was almost no light! It seemed significant to the demonstrator, who clearly felt I should be impressed. I did my best to feign excitement. I think it has something to do with complaints about Lik pieces looking dark in people's houses, in the absence of halogen spotlights.

Feppe, you've got to have that experience! I think it's mandatory if you happen to mention the prints look "backlighted." For some reason.

Respectfully freppe, don't knock Antelope Canyon until you have tried it. The fact that it is now so commercial and there are mobs of people doesn't change what the light does to those magnificent walls... It remains one of the most incredible places I have ever photographed. If we ignore all of the "bastard child of kitsch and cliche" places there won't be much left for us to bring our unique vision to! When in Las Vegas, don't forget The Fremont Street Experience for a great night shoot.

So hope to get quite a variety of landscape photographs over the 6 weeks we will be "on the road". Have done that route, in reverse, before but tried to do it in 3 weeks which was hopelessly inadequate.

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************************************"Reality is an illusion caused by lack of alcohol."Alternatively, "Life begins at the far end of your comfort zone."

I'm headed to Vegas this weekend and have convinced the wife we need to make a 1 day excursion. I've been to the North Rim and am considering the South Rim.

However, I did a Zion NP- Bryce Canyon - Capitol Reef NP- Arches NP- Monument Valley - Grand Canyon trip in 2001 and don't feel the allure of a single day trip to the South Rim to experience it in harsh midday light.

But I'm anxious to leave Vegas and see some scenery (I live in a city of 4 million people so I'd like a little scenery). I've seen red Rock canyon.

Other than Hoover Dam are there any interesting stops along the way between Vegas and the South Rim? Any small dusty Mormon towns worthy of 10 minute's culture shock? Native indian settlements similar the Hopi Reserves near Monument?What about Lake ead? I've seen many interesting images of it but don't know if those interesting locations are close to the Vegas-South rim route? And because I've seen Grand Canyon before and plan to return for a longer trip maybe there are interesting part of Lake Mead that i could devote myself to (and save Grand Canyon for later)?

Much obliged pardner!

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An office drone pension administrator by day and a photo-enthusiast by night, week-end and on vacation who carries his camera when traveling the world:Please have a chew on my photos: http://www.fluidr.com/photos/phil_marion/sets